Amiami.jp is a merchandise company (under Oh-Ami Inc, a design company) based in Tokyo, Japan, that does online retail of anime and related goods all over the world. Recently they opened up their market to include overseas orders and received positive response. Quite some of my friends ordered goods through their site and are impressed by their shipping time and services rendered. I got my first set of Bus Musume (バスむすめ) through them as well and this time, they are selling their giant tote bag that was given away free at Wonder Festival 2010. Needless to say, I did not have a giant pocket yet to be able to fly to Japan on my own to attend, but they are selling the bag online now for a mere 300 JPY, so its a good chance for me and my friend to get ourselves one and pretend that we had been to WF 2010.

Bags came in a EMS package…

Showing how to be eco with the package…

Two bags are folded nicely inside. A reduction in shipping costs, definitely a plus.

Look how gigantic it is~!

Tetsudo Musume (鉄道むすめ) started out in 2005 with its figurine and merchandise spreading all over Japan in a frenzied craze. Recently I brought the official novel and manga of the series, aiming to be a true “鉄道むすめ Kee-siao” (Devoted fan of the series). At least in Singapore, its hard to maintain such a hobby and as of now, one level of my cabinet is filled with them.

This time, I purchased the case for storage of the N-gauge cargo containers. As I have yet to get any of those containers, I used the case to keep another N-gauge train of my collection, leaving the enclosed sponge for future usage.

A big packing that contained the A4 sized case…

Resting inside the packing…

Look, how many Amazon trees were destroyed in protecting the Musume cause…

As tall as a wine bottle…

Inside…

In the next post I will feature the shifting in of the models that it isn’t exactly designed to carry… Stay tuned.

Now that is not Metro-Cammell Weymann.

Its, the Most Costly Week.

And I believe that it is true, just a picture to show you here.

Typing error, Photobook should be Picture-book. There are no real Tetsudo Musume in the World and if there is, most likely I will be staying with them all by now.

Yeah so there you go, the Most Costly Week, SGD 226.50, not including food and consumables.

Next up will be a photo review on the latest edition to bus model fleet, the 1:76 Scale KMB HK Dennis Dragon 9.9-meter Resin Model.

Afterword: I suppose the moon-clock that Nemuru is holding is spoilt, if its red even if the full moon is over. It used to appear red for one day, on the Lunar 15th, then it will go back to the pattern. Guess Konami spoilt the clock and now wolves are always out.

*Photos also posted in Facebook profile and SGCafe.

Many thanks to members of SGCafe for bringing down their prized ‘daughters’ to the Double Helix bridge on 5th May. Dollfies are generally 1/3 scale although there are 1/6 scale and many other variants. Since my knowledge on them are not in-depth, I shall leave interested folks to search on Google or visit the official Volks site.

Photos in chronological order;

Evening at Marina Bay Sands.

We have cameras!

Hmm, Canon 5D!

Group Photo! With Darren‘s Tamron 90 mm.

Oh! Singapore Kungfu~!

After the interlude, back at the bridge.

Sony MDR headphones!

Showcasing Singapore!

Grand Finale.

*Real names are omitted to protect privacy of participants, oh yes, and the staff too*

One fine evening…

Four Otakus: (Exits XXX Station, asks beautiful ‘moe’ staff with purple hair :O) Where can we find good food?

Airu Haneda: There is a new cafe nearby, A87 Cafe, a new concept of maid cafe in Singapore~!

Otakus: Alright, thats cool, why not we give it a try?

Airu: Yeah I will bring you there then~! (Hey wait, ain’t she still on duty? But heck we have more people joining~!)

The Menu~!

The order list~! Alright lets not disturb Airu-san, she still got work to do at the station~

Yes, Obasan’s Magical Stew, with a magical blessing by the staff. Remember, DUN LAUGH~!

Remember, you can have wordings, but the default will be…

Okay the answer will come next but first, four tall Akibanana Smoothies~!

Nekos (cats), right. Rounds the sentence.

Yup, no flash, and these are the small snacks.

Mini personal-not-so-critique Review:

This my first visit to a Japanese otaku culture-themed cafe. (Cause I have not tried the ‘real-deal at Akihabara, but will one day and I must take the Tsukuba Express Line train to… Yes Tsukuba) Pretty amazing including the smell of Japanese stuff in Singapore, namely the Sunshine Plaza smell (or does the smell come from KKnM exclusively, you get the drift).

Service is amusing and entertaining, well pretty much to a cafe style. However some points did gave me a heart attack;

1. Do you include a closing date for your business? Its like knowing when your life will end. October 1st 2011, written on the menu’s event page, how horrible it is of me to remember the date now and digging at the wound… But well Miki, you can take the date off at least, sounds nicer right~

2. Some basic Japanese language (usage) knowledge? I heard someone saying ‘irashaimase’ (いらつしゃいませ) when we were leaving the cafe. Well for starters, that would mean ‘Welcome’, should be said when entering a shop/cafe/7-Eleven. When customers (not ご主人様/Goshujisama, thanks) leave, it would be ありがとうございます/Arigatou-Gozaimasu. Snippets of stuff are like what I love to look out for and sadly someone’s tail have been stepped on by me again. -_-”

3. OMG to the points system, plus thermal bills. Well I guess that needs sorting out but its been a few months after opening, should it already been settled?

Some funny stuff, this cafe is all about having fun~!

I vaguely remember the Bachelor’s Challenge, the best part is about writing ‘I am Hentai’, using red lipstick, by one of the staff, and then standing at the window and wave to passer-by for 87 seconds. Serious, everything about the cafe has to associate with the number 87. They should have discounts for people born in 1987, right?

Second level, nothing much set up yet and I don’t seem to catch sight of console machines that I supposedly saw on the papers… Nice Macross Frontier twist poster at the staircase area though.

The toilet smells okay, sadly no Japanese style bidet toilet system. I have yet to ask local TOTO dealer if they have the most advanced, bidet/wash-ass/warmer (I need a cooler here in SG) toilet cover system.

Stuff are generally okay priced, well priced for that area. I only had the drink (A87 Smoothie in case you missed it) but the other folks who ate, wow…

Staff are friendly, though a bit quiet. Its had to be niche in Singapore and well, I wish them all the best. And remove the October 1st 2011 please. I don’t wish to see a business going towards a countdown…

Overall I give 8/10 for A87 Cafe. Good job~!

And thanks for not calling me ご主人様/Goshujisama, my bones will fail catastrophically if the brain catches such an electric signal generated by…

Extra: Airu Haneda is a character from the Tetsudo-Musume series 6. Modeled after female staff uniform of Tokyo Monorail (東京モノレール), she is one of the characters in the series focusing on Japanese railway company uniforms. She is a station staff and helps commuters find their way among the railway system in Tokyo.

EOY 2009… Crammed, but still entertaining in the end. I hope this is how we feel.

みんなさま、写真しょうかいしましょ！

Some photos of the artwork featured, also seen previously at AFA 09.

Please email or approach personally for cosplay photos. みんなさまありがとうございますた～！

Haha welcome to another episode of the Toaru series! No railgun, no trains, but buses instead!

Did you have a merry christmas? Hope you did, cause I had a sweating afternoon having pictures taken at River Valley, of A Certain SMRT Route Change! Let the pictures ROLL~!

Its EOY 2009 tomorrow but I am not 100% looking forward to it… Call me stupid or childish, but I felt sold-out by the organisers, who contacted me only yesterday to announce that there are no more media passes for some (or majority/all?) of the bloggers, apparently they ran out of passes.

Please, this is foreseeable, contact those who will not get passes (due to dislike of blog/site/really limited number) earlier, instead of two days before the event. It was super disappointing!

I had looked forward to covering EOY 2009 on my site because its going to be the first chance to become more un-bus, well, Minibus Group has always seem to be a bus company, but no, I aim to be a diverse bus company. Sadly the nil-issue of the media pass would mean a big separation from what I have envisioned.

If I see the organisers tomorrow in-person, this feedback is definitely going to them.

EOY (otherwise known as Event of the Year/End of Year) 2009 is coming this Saturday! Have you gotten your tickets yet?

牧野由依 (Yui Makino, featured in the anime ‘Aria the Natural’, ‘Welcome to NHK!’, ‘NEEDLESS’ and many other anime/musical performances) will be having her performance at the concert after the main EOY event. Refer to the first poster for the price for the tickets.

For further information, visit the EOY 2009 website.

Your friendly site admin has gotten a ticket… So should you too! See you there~!

Note: Posters are copyright of the EOY 2009 committee and used here only as promotional purpose. Minibus Group is not beneficial in any way from this CM message; it is done out of goodwill.

Spent the previous hour of my life doing this up… Totally off the charts, the fever is on and so some fan made stuff must be produced!

First the ‘original versions’ for comparison…

And finally, this!

All pictures shown as examples (first two images) are copyright respective to their owners.

A very interesting phrase indeed… The To-A-Ru (とある) series began with the Magical Index, and then the Railgun. Now, Keikyu (京浜急行電鉄) Electric Railway is the main star~!

For non-anime viewers who have not seen the opening for Toaru-Kagaku-no Railgun, the video on the right is the comparison version of the fan-made Keikyu opening and the original OP.

Have fun~!

Here we go, day two of AFA 09!

Success in getting the Otacool book (third last copy!) and got it autographed by the author Mr Danny Choo, and Alodia cosplaying as Suenaga Mirai! Many thanks to them and their friendly reception!

A better shot of Mirai-chan (Suenaga Mirai) this time round! Tokyo Figurine Show Singapore.

Some cute little stuff… For kids obviously. Bandai booth.

Two ticket versions. Entrance.

More Nendriod and figurine photos to come. All from Tokyo Figurine Show Singapore.

I feel that the figurine show is not only a showcase of numbers, but rather the ambience that you can appreciate the figurines up close. Good job to Good Smile Company/Max Factory and Mr Danny Choo!

Dinner later that night was my usual favorite…

Last but not least…

Your friendly Site Admin with Mr Danny Choo!

Many thanks to Mr Danny Choo and all AFA 09 organisers for making this event possible and successful, I guess this is what we all have hoped for and a great event to end the year with!

This also completes the public upload photos for the event. For folks who want the individual cosplay photos please approach by email. Friends need not approach as you will know where to find the link to the compressed files containing the pictures. Exclusive for privacy, respect privacy and everyone will have a good day!

Many thanks and see you soon!

Posting some selected pictures of a big haul from first day of AFA 09. Photos of individual cosplayers not posted due to privacy. If you are interested or suspect that I may have some of your photos please approach by email terence767400@hotmail.com

Loved Danny Choo’s Tokyo Figurine Show! At least there are stuff for folks who are not yet spending a single buck on the first day, although I saw many blowing up their wallets and occasionally you can hear ‘boomz’ or such. Not Ris Low related.

First production shot with the Sony 50 mm f1.8 SAM (Smooth Autofocus Motor, bleah haha) just gotten from Nelson from Clubsnap. Many thanks to him getting the lens to me in time! Once the lens snapped onto the camera, they were almost like a couple married. The camera body is elated to have a new companion after so many years, not to mention the owner’s satisfaction at some decent macro shots finally! Okay I am not talking about the figurine, shucks!

Haha wait… Leech again!

Mirai-chan (Suenaga Mirai) , a bit dark here but I killed the flash to have a more ‘mysterious’ feel, rather than the bright shots that many others who have gotten. Call this going head-on with fashion? Haha…

Okay this is for my friend who is booking in tomorrow back to the ‘hell-hole’ at…

One of my favorite versions of Suzumiya Haruhi, although I have no intention of liking the character, so sorry…

My parents’ generation. They could somehow still remember this machine but can I remember all of my viewed characters when I am their age? Maybe…

The childhood character of many kids. It was one of mine and I still watch the show every weekend. Not tomorrow though, because its Day Two of AFA 09! See you there!

もう一回！ The official tagline for the annual Anime Festival Asia, and its the second time this coming November!

Your friendly site admin has pre-registered for a 2-day pass and will be at the venue.

The following are the prices for entrance-only. Pre-order open on the homepage:

And this is for the “I Love Anisong” concert passes with entrance to event. Pre-order on Sistic website:

Anime Festival Asia 09 Official Homepage: http://www.afa09.com/index.html

Note: Minibus Group is in no way affiliated with AFA 09 organizers. This CM is done out of goodwill. All media displayed remains the copyright of the respective organizers.

Lost in the city…

You have not seen my (ridiculous, useless, crap, crazy, non-moe) votes for a long time. Here they are!

ARENA 01: Hiiragi Tsukasa [Tsukimiya Ayu]

ARENA 02: Suigintou [Abstained] Chiba Kirino

ARENA 03: Kasuga “Ōsaka” Ayumu [Abstained] Alice Carroll

ARENA 04: [Nagi] Suzumiya Haruhi

ARENA 05: Shinku [Sunohara Mei]

ARENA 06: Izumi Konata [Furude Hanyū]

ARENA 07: [Fate Testarossa] Hinamori Amu

ARENA 08: Furude Rika [Kawasumi Mai]

ARENA 09: Shana [Abstained] Remilia Scarlet

ARENA 10: Evangeline McDowell [Abstained] Suiseiseki

ARENA 11: Konjiki no Yami [Tōsaka Rin]

ARENA 12: [Sanzen'in Nagi] Asahina Mikuru

ARENA 13: Mizunashi Akari [Ichinose Kotomi]

ARENA 14: [Ibuki Fūko] Kinomoto Sakura

ARENA 15: Kawashima Ami [Kamio Misuzu]

ARENA 16: Katagiri Yūhi [Abstained] Misaka Mikoto

ARENA 17: Louise Vallière [C.C.]

ARENA 18: Hakurei Reimu [Ryōgi Shiki]

ARENA 19: Kurata Sayuri [Ryūgū Rena]

ARENA 20: Takamachi Nanoha [Saber]

ARENA 21: Aisaka Taiga [Katsura Hinagiku]

ARENA 22: Illyasviel von Einzbern [Abstained] Chii

ARENA 23: Vita [Kōzuki Kallen]

ARENA 24: Holo [Maria]

ARENA 25: Kirisame Marisa [Abstained] Index Prohibitorum

ARENA 26: Minase Nayuki [Abstained] Furukawa Nagisa

ARENA 27: Kushieda Minori [Fujibayashi Kyō]

ARENA 28: [Sawatari Makoto] Nagato Yuki

ARENA 29: [Misaka Shiori] Anya Alstreim

ARENA 30: Kawazoe Tamaki [Abstained] Yagami Hayate

ARENA 31: Patchouli Knowledge [Hiiragi Kagami]

ARENA 32: [Sakagami Tomoyo] Shameimaru Aya

Found the way to open the Trident’s engine cover…

There was a second crash and luckily, it survived, and here it is transmitting messages again!

During this period there was ‘back-to-school’, WCG 2009 and the much-awaited airing of  ‘Umineko no Naku Koro Ni’ (うみねこのなく頃に, When Seagulls Cry) on major Japanese channels.

Got only one image from WCG 2009/The Games Xpo (TGX, not MAN TGX motor tractor) 2009 , was not very interested in the ongoings, only played WMMT 3DX at the venue. And yes I paid to play haha… Call me stupid or what, but I was expecting some players who are real strong. Sadly there wasn’t when I was there (and I wouldn’t have won them if there was).

‘Shana’ (center), of  ’Shakugan no Shana’ (灼眼のシャナ) fame. Personally I don’t really like this kind of ‘mainstream anime’, where the excitement is high for when there are posters around, when there are mascots around and when there are figurines around, of the character, and after a few years you would die out from its ‘tiresome bombing’ (疲劳轰炸, originally a Cantonese term).

I rather go after some stuff that are lesser known but equally enjoyable.

However, that does not mean I don’t like Shana as a character. I find that she is one of the more well-drawn female anime character of this decade, other than OMG-Haruhi, which itself is another well-blasted anime character. Be reassured non-mainstream lovers, that I am not at all fond of Suzumiya Haruhi. I don’t mind Nagato Yuki though; the (idea of the) sub-company name on the site header comes from her.

Views about characters are totally my own thoughts. Not to be associated with any other people, buildings, events, characters, dead or alive (or claimed as god).

As you can see, I am not very fond of popular games, like World of Warcraft (DOTA) and Guitar Hero so to speak, as well. By now you would be cursing me to hell. Alright, give you a break from it here. On to the next one.

The Marina Bay Sands Resort is amazingly fast in progress. But the buildings seem a bit too tall for comfort and blocks off the view of the orginal skyline (from the sea).

Talking about traditions, three tall identical buildings resemble the joss sticks that Chinese use for ‘bai-bai’ (拜拜, or prayers). They say that it would be topped by a sky garden, but the overall design still looks screwed to me. I rather a long low level building core with shorter supporting structures. Three ‘joss sticks’ blocking the ‘financial’ (original CBD skyline) of Singapore from the ‘sea’ (seen as wealth by some) is truely some matter to be thought of…

Anyways, this is a good sign for me to leave Singapore and settle somewhere I like. Japan? If only I can bring over some old buses for preservation there as well…

So far I am planning to bring some (bus) models to school and have a shoot somewhere. Jason (and other SP/non-SP students), interested? Bring along your Volvo B10TL would be good…

Saving the valuable typing force here, I shall leave the URL to ‘Umineko no Naku Koro Ni’ here, as the ‘Last Word’ for this post.

http://umineko.tv/web/main/index.html

Haha after almost half a month of inaction, here I am back again! ^^

Thanks to my friend who helped me fix the site back to condition… Apparently I shall not try to meddle with that upgrade fuction again, until WordPress (yes that is the backbone program of this site) solves the bug, or whatever that hinders the stupid upgrade.

Some nice stuff happened when the site was under re-construction. Shall feature the photos taken of them right here, right now!

SGDC 3rd Anniversary Photoshoot

Showcase of the sexiest.

Lost among the cars…

The mechanics.

Lineup.

2 JDMs at the shoot. NSX is the third one.

SBS9889U service 99

Towards Jurong West with bus fans on board!

New Mio Akiyama edited advertisement.

Scania K.

B9TL Enviro 500 jacked up… The Volvos will be undergoing ‘repairs and diagnostics’ similar to an aircraft’s C checks.

Don’t attempt to check if your models have any engines.

Serangoon Station.

The Circle Line is a fully automated train system in Singapore, which will cover Dolby Ghaut to Harbourfront stations when completed. The five stations prepared for operation by end of May; Marymount, Bishan, Lorong Chuan, Serangoon and Bartley are opened to the public on 23rd May.

Ooo… Scandal… From SankakuComplex.

After lazing around for three rounds, here are my votes for Topaz Round 9!

OMG… From SankakuComplex.

Okay time for report on this again… Apparently its another ill-informed vote… I just cannot bear to choose between any of them! But then again, I follow the way of Key, and here are the results…